We live in a new world (brave or not, we’re still not sure but keep on trying) of the 4th revolution, the post capitalistic era where the most valuable resource the companies need from you is no longer money. The rabbit has dug another layer into the hole where money becomes the byproduct of conquering something else – your attention. The battlefield moved from the wallet to the brain that opens the wallet and you will now use the product because you’re being manipulated into addiction by increasingly fragmented attention which inhibits the ability to rationalize.

Did you know that the software and interfaces you are using on apps and social media also employed an “attention engineer” – a person who’s sole purpose is to introduce addictive features modeled on the principles of psychological booby traps or Vegas casinos for example – mimicking the colors, sounds, time delay… aim is to reward you with shiny little trinkets, pings or bleeps as compensation for minutes of your attention. If you pull a slot machine long enough you’ll eventually win, if you check your phone every minute here and there you’ll get a reward. Scientists at the Stanford University researched the phenomena of compulsory attention dissipation by constantly checking social media and dubbed the theory as the “Magic of Maybe”. When your “maybe” is fruitful you’ve already been trained by the interface to get a 400% rise in dopamine. We’re are all very vulnerable to what others think of us, that is a part of being a social animal, but the software controls the dial of how many people will see your post of photo in their feed (what an interesting word to use, as if you were hungry), the software entices you to be active by reminding you that the world wants to know “What’s on your mind?” and makes you slowly accept the social proof of (often complete strangers) where hearts and likes are equated with real value in your mind.

In the beginning the new economy was powered, as all other economies are, by money, but not anymore – its greatest resource now is your time and attention while you continue to compare the highlight reels or simulacra of life with your real everyday life and trying to fix what you feel afterwards by giving more attention to the app that allows you to get more attention. You’re not a thing to be exploited by an algorithm or apiece of code, you’re not a statistic. Use the tools with all their benefits but with clear understanding of its scope, shut down, go offline and detach yourself here and there – the sovereignty of your person will depend on it.